The Hunt for the Elke and other Tales

[Plynkes]

This is basically a "what I've been doing lately" sort of topic, so I put it here in Workbench.

Long-term members may recall the German commerce-raider the SMS Elke, and how she suffered a battering at the battle of the Coconut Islands. Hunted and pursued across the Indian Ocean by the Aussie ships HMAS Kylie and HMAS Dannii, and the Japanese cruiser Matakishi she has limped to the safe haven of German Central Africa (up to now, we weren't even sure German Central Africa had a coast, or which ocean it was on: the Colonial Office seems to have mislaid the pertinent maps). Now she is hiding in the Ufifi delta while repairs are made.

So I figured it might be a good idea to build something to camouflage her from her pursuers...


Though only an armed merchantman, her fictional exploits are inspired by the real-life adventures of the SMS Emden and SMS Königsberg, and the fictional ones of the Blücher from "Shout at the Devil."


I decided on camo netting stretched over a wooden framework.


I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.


The repair crews about to begin work on the damaged rudder and screw.


The sailors with rifles are there...


...in case any of the local river-dwellers take too close an interest in the proceedings.


She may be wounded, but the Elke still has sharp teeth.


Anxiously scanning the skies for enemy reconnaissance planes.


Outer defensive post and forward OP with telephone link to the ship.



Should really have taken some WIP shots, but forgot, sorry. The frames are made from wooden kebab skewer-type things. Netting was then attached with cotton thread, painted with glue and leaf-litter stuff sprinkled on to it...


The frames have tiny spikes on the bottom, which slide into holes drilled in the deck, making the whole thing easily removable.

*********

In other news...


I converted and painted up some much-needed support for the Herefords (plus some lads who didn't make it). Those new Woodbine separate heads are a godsend for this project.

After putting up with that prissy little Belgian twerp and his dog staring up at me accusingly from the painting table for months, no years...


I finally got around to painting Tintin et Milou (for some reason Tintin's head refused to get into sharp focus, I think he's still sulking because I took so long to paint him).

The dog in the Copplestone set doesn't really look like Milou (who always has perky ears, not droopy ones) so he had to undergo a little cosmetic surgery. The bill from the vet was outrageous. Daylight bloody robbery.


From Tintin en Thaïlande (1971).

 

[Westfalia Chris]

CA-PLANE-POUR-MOI!

Excellent, yet downright disturbing towards the end. Looking forward to further adventure reports (the conventional kind, mind you).

[Hitman]

Great steamer and the camoflauge is really cool. Miniatures and terrain are outstanding. Thanks for sharing.

[Hammers]

 

Lovely, all of it.

[argsilverson]

just one word:

WOW

[Helen]

How come I missed this?

Excellent work Dylan. I do have the entire ships crew ready to serve your lordship in East Africa.

Lovely netting on the ship and I like the conversions you have made on the Brits, very neat!

I just love Africa  

[argsilverson]

yesterday I have written only one word: WOW.

Today I must add:
This is the best iconography of an actual historical event I have seen in miniatures!
Bravo, Plynkes!
The history of Koenigsberg, hiding in Rufigi delta and undertaking repairs,  transformed into a lovely mini diorama!! 
[or is it more than one!]. Actually they had added more MG for anti air protection. Also they built some towers towatch for intruders!
one tower was built at the mouth of Rufiji delta.


Plynkes your photos and german africa stories can fill some museum!
Very inspirational !

This is basically a "what I've been doing lately" sort of topic, so I put it here in Workbench.

This looks promising!

From Tintin en Thaïlande (1971).

I think yesterday there was a little more caption , in those photos. That Tintin managed to escape from those Thai .....
Where are they? Cannot see them!

I do have the entire ships crew ready to serve your lordship in East Africa.

Any pics?

I just love Africa   

Yes Plynkes' africa is very lovely, very clean and still adventurous!
[Just to enhance your work, Plynkes: add a couple of local canoes, carrying fresh supplies to Elke! and a camouflaged raft to facilitate the repairs.

[BTW, Helen, hope you are not in any trouble with those fires and floods you have down there!]

[Plynkes]

I do have native canoes, actually, so that wouldn't be a problem. I like the idea of towers too. That would be cool. But right now I am going to concentrate on the forces that shall be trying to blast her out of the water. I have two planes, a monitor of sorts and a couple of motor gunboats, all of whom are going to try their luck at sinking her. But as yet I have no Royal Navy crewmen painted for them. Knuckling down and getting them painted is the next job on this project (but as always, I am flitting between projects at the moment).

Flynn and Bassy from "The Kaiser's Elephants" shall be making an appearance too (obviously).

As for Tintin, I have no 28mm ladyboys, it must have been your own fevered imagination. 

But... With my Copplestone Bikini girls and a little bit of Miliput...

...No, no. Let's not go there. 

[argsilverson]

As for Tintin, I have no 28mm ladyboys, it must have been your own fevered imagination. 

But... With my Copplestone Bikini girls and a little bit of Miliput...

...No, no. Let's not go there. 

Better not. I don't know whether they will distinguishable in 28mm! It is better to stop it here!

I do have native canoes, actually, so that wouldn't be a problem. I like the idea of towers too. That would be cool. But right now I am going to concentrate on the forces that shall be trying to blast her out of the water. I have two planes, a monitor of sorts and a couple of motor gunboats, all of whom are going to try their luck at sinking her. But as yet I have no Royal Navy crewmen painted for them. Knuckling down and getting them painted is the next job on this project (but as always, I am flitting between projects at the moment).

I will check my referencies to see what actually happened. I think that Koenigsberg was unarmed at the time that was sunk.
The heavy guns were already removed.

[Plynkes]

The Severn and the Mersey engaged the Königsberg, and the Königsberg returned their fire hitting the Mersey (the British monitors had seaplanes spotting for them, the Germans land-based spotters). This may have been with her smaller guns, or the big ones which had been taken off, I'm not sure. She still could fight though (or at least her guns and crew could), whatever the exact situation was.

Don't worry, it is only the inspiration for the game. In my game, the Elke will be armed all right.

[argsilverson]

Don't worry, it is only the inspiration for the game. In my game, the Elke will be armed all right.

Yes, alright.
The RN "commandos" approaching her with the aid of some rafts, covered in the darkness of the night, ready to plant some ....
boms/torpedoes on her  or something similar

or Queen of Africa with her homemade torpedoes is approaching

or cannibals working for the enemies [british?] trying to taste german flesh

[argsilverson]

it must have been your own fevered imagination. 

In fact yes! You are right!
last Friday I had a small accident!
I struck my head on a tree branch and the results were very bad. Not exactly "fevered imagination" but "shaken imagination"
Still suffering.

And in the meantime I had to write down a paper for my post graduate course spend all week end for that!

That is why I post lots of nonsense!

[meninobesta]

those are awesome... 

but I really don't like much of the flesh tones, they look like they are too tanned! It's not that they are not well painted, it's just a mater of personal taste!

but everything looks astonishing! splendid work!

[Plynkes]

I agree, on photos the flesh I use does look very tanned (or sunburnt even), I've been thinking about changing the colours that I use.

But with the naked eye, they look different, and perfectly fine for the most part, so I'm not sure what to do about that. Which is more important - how they look in photos, or how they look in real life? 

[Captain Blood]

Which is more important - how they look in photos, or how they look in real life? 

Real life. Definitely.

Of course, in real life, British squaddies in far flung tropical outposts of Empire would have been predominantly lobster pink - at least to start with.